The contamination of water or fluids with microorganisms remains a global problem. Contamination can be problematic for wastewater, bathing water, industrial water, grey water and/or drinking water. Currently, the primary means of disinfection is the addition of chemical compounds with high oxidation potential to the water, such as chloride (ClO− as an active specie) or bromide (BrO− as an active specie). However, these chemical products can be highly harmful to human health and the environment, especially when dosed continuously. Unfortunately, in many applications, such as hot tub water disinfection, the high concentrations of chemical oxidants necessary in order to assure a minimal health security can often induce eye and skin discomfort and irritation. Moreover, for wastewater plants, grey water or food industry water where the releases are often dropped in local rivers, lakes or oceans, the addition of chemicals as disinfectants is forbidden and/or highly regulated.
Some other solutions for water disinfection include reverse osmosis, ozone reactors and/or UV lighting. However, all rely upon electronic devices, and therefore are dependent on electricity.
Metal ions have also been used previously for water disinfection. Unfortunately, the use of such metal ions often requires the addition of the metal compounds directly to the media to be disinfected. Even where metal ions are bound to a substrate the disinfecting activity of the metal ions is often times compromised.
Accordingly, there remains a need for atmospheric disinfection compositions and methods that are safe and effective, as well as cost-effective.